Automatic car loading apparatus



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I l I INVENTOR Oct. 3, 1961 L. w. MILLER AUTOMATIC CAR LOADING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1960 LABRON W. MILLER Oct. 3, 1961 Filed May 5, 1960 4- Sheets-Sheet 2 i I 11 Z] a; I/lli i a: m I

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LABRON W. MULLER Oct. 3, 1961 L. w. MILLER AUTOMATIC CAR LOADING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 5, 1960 INVENTOR. LABRON W. NHLLEQ WE. AW/Mi Oct. 3, 1961 w. MILLER 3,002,637

AUTOMATIC CAR LOADING APPARATUS Filed May 5, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. .U 7 LABRON w. MILLER w r. MA,

ilnited States This invention relates to an improved automatic car loading apparatus adapted for the substantially uniform loading of a trip of cars in a rapid and efficient manner, and with the employment of a minimum amount of manua1 labor and personal supervision from an operator. For purposes of illustration, the invention is described in connection with its employment in a coal mine, although it is not limited in any way to this particular usage, and, on the contrary, is intended for general use in the loading of loose materials.

In carrying out the invention an improved arrangement and co-ordination is provided between a trip of cars to be loaded, a conventional means for advancing that trip of cars to and from its loading position beneath a tiltable dispensing means receiving material from a conventional conveyor and with the dispensing means actuated in dependence upon the movement of the cars themselves; all to the end that a more reliable and simpler apparatus may be made available without having certain disadvantages found in prior arrangements for automatic loading of cars.

An object of the invention is to provide an automatic car loading apparatus having a tiltable dispensing means mounted to feed into either a forward or rearward car and tiltable in dependence upon the position occupied by a pantograph-like car-engaging structure serving jointly to shift the dispensing means and to control the means for advancing the cars.

Another object is to provide a pantograph-like, car-engaging structure readily adjustable as to longitudinal length in order to accommodate it to the full loading of cars when handling different types of material.

Another object is to provide an automatic car loading apparatus having an improved out-of-car-and-derail control member adapted to engage with an elevated portion of the cars to be loaded.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be come apparent as the description proceeds and when considered in conjunction with the acocmpanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a suitable mechanical and electrical arrangement for carrying out the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the mounting framework with a forward car shown in loading position and with a rearward car in position for subsequent loading, the side of the forward car being broken away to indicate the normal position occupied therein by the car engaging means;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus as seen in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the apparatus as seen in in FIG. 2 and viewed in the direction of the on-coming trip of cars;

FIG. 5 is a digrammatic view indicating the position of the car-engaging means and the train control ball during loading of a forward car;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view indicating the position of the car-engaging means and the train control during initial loading of a rearward car; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the linkage for tilting the dispensng means and with parts of the structure broken away.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a trip of cars including a forward car 19 coupled to an adjacent rearward cal atent 11, is adapted to be moved along rails by any suitable car-advancing means indicated generally at 12 and driven by any suitable prime mover 13 through any suitable connection such as a pneumatic or hydraulic system, a mechanical means, or an electrical means. The precise nature of the car-advancing means forms no part of the present invention and it is contemplated that any suit able means of conventional nature may be employed, as for example, a rope hoist, a robot locomotive, a gravity retarder, a hydraulic car spotter of the type shown in Stamler Patent No. 2,606,504, or the like.

During movement along those rails each car passes beneath a conventional dispensing means 14 tiltable about axis 15 transverse of the rails; the dispensing means being mounted below the discharge portion of a conventional conveyor 16 driven by a motor 17 through any suitable connection such as a pneumatic or hydraulic system, a mechanical means, or an electrical means. By means of a circuit including conductor 18, the usual manual emergency switch 19, motor 17, a switch 2% governed by the out-of-car and-derail mechanism later to be described, and a return conductor 21, the conveyor operates to discharge material into the dispensing means when switches 19 and 2% both are closed.

Likewise, by means of a second circuit including conductor 18, the usual manual emergency switch 22, a switch 23 in parallel with and independently operable with respect to a companion switch 24, motor 13, a switch 25 linked with switch 20 to open and close simultaneously therewith, and return conductor 21, the cars advancing means is actuated to move the trip of cars forwardly so long as switches 22 and 25 and at least one of switches 23 and 24, are closed. As will later appear, switch 23 represents the conventional switch actuated by a tram control mechanism whose position is governed by the level of material deposited in the car, while switch 24 represents the control afforded by the pantograph-like car-engaging structure forming a significant feature of the present invention.

As seen in FIGURES 2, 3, and 4, the above-described arrangement may conveniently be incorporated into a structure comprising a demountable framework straddling rails 26 and 27 along which the cars are advanced automatically without requiring manual effort on the part of an operator. Beneath these rails a pair of spaced foundation beams 30 and 31 are suitably emplaced transversely of the track and four upright members 32, 33, 34 and 35 disposed outboard of the path of movement of the cars are detachably connected at one end to those foundation beams. At their upper ends, the upright members are detachably connected to a pair of transverse upper beams 36 and 37 and by means of suitable bracing 38, 39 and 40, 41 the framework is given a rigid configuration.

In additon, and at a suitable height above the tops of the cars, a pair of parallel channel beams 42 and 43 having their flat surfaces facing each other are detachably mounted upon upper beams 36 and 37 and extend longitudinally of the track and preferably have an overhang rearwardly of the upper beam 37, as seen in FIG. 2. For convenience, the upper beam 36 may support these channel beams thereabove and the upper beam 37 may support these channel beams therebelow. These channel beams are disposed sufficiently inboard of the sides of the cars movable thereunder so that the portions of the panto graph-like car-engaging means, hereinafter described generally as the sled-structure, suspended from those channel beams, may move downwardly and occupy a normal lowered position within the confines of these cars.

Above the upper beam 37 and attached thereto at spaced points well inboard of the sides of the cars is a pair of brackets 45 and 46 mounting pivotally a con ventional tilt pan 14 serving as a means for dispensing bers 60 and 61, each being material into the cars. This pan may have the usual back stop wall portion 48 along its side removed from the conveyor 16 and with a smaller wall portion 49 along its side nearer the conveyor thus to guide material toward the respective lips 59 or 51 of the pan. It will be understood that other equivalent dispensing means, such as a hopper having two discharge portions serving the respective cars and with a pivotable vane therein for guiding incoming material to one or the other such portions, may also be employed without departing from the invention. In any event, material is fed to the dispensing means by conveyor 16, falling by gravity into the dispensing means, and such conveyor may be suitably mounted either upon the above-described framework, upon a separate framework, or when used in underground mines, upon the walls or roof of the mine passage.

Referring now to FIGS. and 6, the sled-structure preferably comprises two spaced, elongated carriage mempivotally attached adjacent each end to one end of links 62., 63 and 64, 65, respectively, which links in turn are pivotally attached at their other ends to the respective channel beams 42 and 4-3. These links preferably are of equal length and at their upper ends are pivoted upon parallel lines along the respective channel beams, one such line 66 being indicated diagrammatically in FIGS. 5 and 6. As seen in FIG. 7, the carriage members are interconnected at their rearward ends by a cross member 67 which conveniently may comprise a tube housed upon a solid rod 68 extending therethrough and the ends of which rod provide a pin for pivotally mounting the lower ends of links 63 and 65. Attached to the tube approximately midway between the carriage members is a tilt arm, 69, pivotally mounted at its upper end in a bracket 70 on the underside of the tilt pan 14 and at a point between the tilting axis thereof indicated by bracket 46 and the forward lip Sit of that pan. The length of tilt arm 69 and of the respective links is so chosen that when the sled-structure is occupying its lowered position, the dispensing means is tilted to direct material into the car and when the sledstructure occupies its fully raised position, the material is directed into car 11. For the purpose of limiting the fully lowered position of the sled-structure, an abutment 71 may be rigidly mounted on the face of channel beam 42 and against which link 64 may abut.

As a significant features, there is provided for each of the carriage members a pair of adjustably mounted overlapping sled-runners, the lower edges of which are adapted to engage with the end walls of the cars and side portions of which serve as a means to guide material entering the cars. When cars having interior reinforcing gussets are being used, the sled-runners may also be in clined from the vertical, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4-. Each of the carriages is provided with a series of bolt holes 72 and 73 adjacent its ends and with a centrally located third series of holes 74 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The forward sled-runners 75 and 76 are attached by bolts or the like into the series of holes 72 while the rearward sled runners 77 and 78 which at their forward ends overlap the rear ends of the forward sled-runners, are attached by bolts or the like into the series of holes 73. Moreover, each of the forward and rearward sled-runners are jointly attached by bolts or the like into the central series of holes 74. Thus, by suitable adjustment into the longitudinally spaced holes, the length of the composite sledrunners may be varied as desired. The rear sled-runners on their lower edge have a downwardly inclined cam surface 79 merging into a horizontal forwardly extending edge 80 while the forward sled-runners on their lower edge have a downwardly inclined cam surface 81 merging into a horizontal rearwardly extending edge 32. The eifective length of the combined horizontal lower edge may thus be increased or diminished as the sledrunner portions are adjusted, but in no event is that effective length less than the spacing S between adjacent cars as seen in FIG. 6.

With the foregoing mechanical structure in mind, reference now is made to the improved arrangement whereby the same may be employed in carrying out the automatic loading of the cars in accordance with the invention. Mounted at a convenient location upon channel beam 42 is a conventional switch 24 having a camfollower engageable with the link 65 and occupying an open circuit position while link 65 remains in contact With the cam follower, but automatically moving to closed circuit position when link 65 is lifted from contact with that cam follower. mercury-tilt type, may be so employed. It will be understood that upon closing of switch 24, the motor 13 is energized to actuate the conventional car-advancing means 12 and that the trip of cars is then promptly moved forward until switch 24 is again opened by its contact with link 65, this arrangement being referred to herein as the first control means for actuating the car-advancing means.

As an additional or second control means for actuating the car-advancing means and in providing for uniform loading of the cars, there is incorporated into the apparatus a conventional tram control ball or panel 85 suitably suspended adjacent the forward lip 5% of the tilt pan and disposed between the carriage members forwardly of the cross member 67. This ball may be of the type described in Miller and Stamler Patent No. 2,788,134

being so mounted that when material slides down the pile being dispensed into the car, it will, at the proper level of such pile, deflect the ball supporting means 85, so as to actuate the cam-follower of switch 23 and temporarily close a circuit through motor 13 thus to actuate the car-advancing means. The tram control ball may conveniently be suspended from the tilt pan, but may also be suspended from other suitable supports, if preferred.

As a still further control means for the apparatus and which serves as an over-riding control when the last car of a trip is being loaded, or when a derailment occurs, the invention includes a rearwardly extending plate 9% arranged for engagement with one of the side walls of .the cars as they are respectively moved into loading position. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, this plate has a length sufficient to engage at all times with the upper edge of an adjacent rearward car as it approaches the framework and a width sufficient to engage that edge in the event the side wall of the car is bulged inward or outward from its normal plane. The plate conveniently may have an upwardly extending cam surface 91 in the direction of the on-coming car and at its forward end may carry an upstanding arm 92 engageable with the follower of a conventional dual switch 2ll25 when the plate is in its lifted position, the switch portion 20 being in the conveyor motor circuit and the switch portion 25 being in the car-actuating-means-motor circuit. This dual switch is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 to indicate the simultaneous action of the switch portions 20 and 25. The plate 9% may conveniently be mounted for pivotal movement about a trunnion 93 extending laterally from upright 33 and the dual switch 2025 may be mounted on the upper beam 37 at a suitable location.

Having thus described a suitable apparatus for carrying out the invention, the operation of the same will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. At the start of operation, the manual switches 19 and 22 are open and the trip of cars is placed in position with the front end of the first car lit under the forward lip of the tilt pan. At this time the plate 90 rests upon the side edge of the car 11 and the sled-structure hangs downwardly within the confines of car 10, the control ball also hanging downwardly in the same car. Switches 19 and 22 are then closed and conveyor 16 begin to feed material into the tilt pan dispensing means and which, being in its first position, then directs the material into the front end of car 14 This material builds into a conical pile meanwhile being deflected by its contact with the spaced sled- Any conventional switch, such as a,

runner side members andin due time pushing against the tram-control ball 85. As the supporting means 86 for that ball is deflected, switch 23 is then closed and motor 13 actuates the car-advancing means 12 to move the trip sufficiently for the ball 85 to resume its vertically hanging position. This intermittent advancing movement continues until the rear cam surface 79 of at least one of the sled-runners engages with the rear end wall of car and causes the link 65 to move away from the follower of switch 24 at which time the switch 24 closes and remains closed until the front cam surfaces 81 of both of the sled-runners have cleared the front end wall of the adjacent rear car 11. It will be understood that while switch 24 remained closed the car advancing means was moving the trip continuously forward. Moreover, as the rear cam surface of one of the sled-runners engaged the rear end of car 10, the entire sled-structure was pushed forwardly and upwardly to the position seen in FIG. 6 and the tilt pan 14 was tilted to its second position through the lifting of the tilt arm 69. Also, tilting of the tilt pan to its second position lifted the control ball out of engagement with material in a car and also caused the continuing fiow of material from conveyor 16 to spill into the forward part of car 11.

This material will continue to spill into car 11 until the sled structure can again be lowered and such lowering can occur only after the horizontal lower edges of the sled-runners are cleared by the end walls of the advancing cars. It will be understood that by suitably increasing or decreasing the eifective length of these horizontal lower edges, as by adjustment of the overlapping sled-runners 76, 77 and 75, 78, a loading to the maximum of the rear end of the loaded car, and of the front end of the next empty car, can be obtained during the operation of the above-described apparatus.

When the forward end wall of car 11 has advanced sufficiently to clear the forward cam surfaces 81, the sledstructure then resumes its normal lowered position and through its interaction by means of tilt arm 69 with the tilt pan, then tilts the pan back to its first position. At the same time, the link 65 again engages with switch 24 to restore that switch to open position and to inactivate the car-advancing means.

The described apparatus automatically and sequentially loads each of the cars in a trip until no car is present for engagement with plate 90 of the over-riding control. When this occurs, the final car of the trip receives only such material as may be spilled thereinto prior to the side wall of that same car moving out of contact with the plate 90. In general, the length of the side wall of a conventional car is long with relation to the distance between the pivot point of plate 99 and the nearest horizontal portion of that plate, so that in any event the last car will receive a substantial loading. When no part of plate 90 can engage with the side wall of a car, this plate immediately pivots about the trunnion 93 and arm 92 thereof acts against the cam follower of dual switch 2025 to open those switches. Immediately upon opening of these switches the circuits to both the car-advancingmeans motor and the conveyor motor are opened and the apparatus comes to a halt. It will be further understood that if a car in the location indicated by car 11 should become derailed, the upper side edge thereof will rest below the lowermost position occupied by plate 90 and the plate will efiect the opening of switches 2025 in the same manner as when no car is present for loading.

Whereas the combination of structure described above has employed reference to various conventional forms of apparatus employed in the improved combination and without specific description of the same, as, for example, the switches, car-advancing means, tram control ball, and the like, it will be understood that many equivalent and known forms of such apparatus components may be used, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. As an illustration, the switches 23, 24 and 20--25 may be peed to control suitable solenoid valves in fluid pressure circuits for known types of car-advancing and combined car-advancing and car-retarding systems, such as shown in the patents to Miller et al. No. 2,7 88,134 or Edmonds No. 2,900,922 and without actually bringing the motors i3 and 17, as shown in FIG. 1 hereof, to rest. Moreover, the precise form of switches and mounting arrangements therefor may be widely varied provided their operation is made dependent upon elements of the combined structure functioning in dependence upon the movement of the car-engagingmeans, the tram control member, and the out-of-car and derail member, as set forth above.

Having thus dmcribed a preferred structural combination and method of operation thereof for carrying out the objectives of the invention, it will be apparent that various'changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. It, therefore, is intended that the invention is to be considered as limited only as described by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A car loading apparatus comprising in combination, a car loading conveyor and a trip of coupled cars having sides and end walls and adapted to be advanced in succession along rails into and from loading position, means for advancing said cars, a framework, a dispensing means pivotally mounted on an upper portion of said framework beneath said conveyor and receiving material from said conveyor, said dispensing means being tiltable between a normal first position discharging material into a forward car and a second position discharging material into the adjacent rearward car, car-engaging means connected to said dispensing means and pivotally mounted upon said framework for engagement successively by the end walls of said cars during a portion of the advancing movement thereof, and a first control means for actuating said car-advancing means, said first control means being actuated by movement of said car-engaging means, said car engaging means occupying a normal lowered position and being raised to an elevated position when in contact with the trailing end wall of a loaded car as said loaded car moves forward thereby jointly to cause said dispensing means to move to its second position and to actuate said first control means in order to move the end walls of said cars out of contact with said car-engaging means.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said carengaging means includes an elongated carriage extending longitudinally of the car being loaded, a pair of links pivotally mounted at their respective ends upon each of said framework and said carriage thereby to raise and lower said car-engaging means with a pantograph-like motion, and a sled-runner attached to and depending from said carriage, said sled-runner having a lower edge with an inclined surface at each of its ends engageable respectively with the trailing end wall of a loaded car and the forward end wall of the next succeeding car of a trip of cars.

3. A car loading apparatus comprising in combination, a car loading conveyor and a trip of coupled cars having sides and end walls and adapted to be advanced in succession along rails into and from loading position, means for advancing said cars, a framework, a dispensing means pivotally mounted on an upper portion of said framework beneath said conveyor and receiving material from said conveyor, said dispensing means being tiltable between a normal first position discharging material into a forward car and a second position discharging material into the adjacent rearward car, car-engaging means connected to said dispensing means and pivotally mounted upon said framework for engagement successively by the end walls of said cars during a portion of the advancing movement thereof, a first control means for actuating said caradvancing means, said first control means being actuated by said car-engaging means, a second control means for actuating said car-advancing means and having a depending movable member suspended within the confines of the a car being loaded, said depending member being movable in response to the volume of material deposited in the car being loaded, said second control means actuating said car-advancing means upon movement of said depending member by said deposited material, said car-engaging means occupying a normal lowered position and being raised to an elevated position when in contact with the trailing end Wall of a loaded car as sm'd loaded car moves forward thereby jointly to cause said dispensing means to move to its second position and to actuate said first control means in order to move the end walls of said cars out of contact with said car-engaging means.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said car-engaging means includes at least two elongated carriages extending longitudinally of the axis of movement of said trip of cars to be loaded, links pivotally mounted at their respective ends upon each of said carriages and said framework for raising and lowering said car-engaging means with a pantograph-like motion, means connecting each of said carriages adjacent their rearward ends for movement of said car-engaging means as a unit, said depending movable member of said second control means being located between said carriage and forwardly of said means connecting said carriages, and a sled runner attached to and depending from each of said carriages, each of said sled-runners having a lower edge with an inclined surface at each of its ends engageable respectively with the trailing end wall of a loaded car and the forward end wall of the next succeeding car of a trip of cars.

5. A car loading apparatus comprising in combination, a car loading conveyor and a trip of coupled car having sides and end walls and adapted to be advanced in succession along rails into and from loading position, means for advancing said cars, a framework, a dispensing means pivotally mounted upon an upper portion of said framework beneath said conveyor and receiving material from said conveyor, said dispensing. means being tiltable between a normal first position discharging material into a forward car and a second position discharging material into the adjacent rearward car, car-engaging means connected to said dispensing means and pivotally mounted upon said framework for engagement successively by the end walls of said cars during a portion of the advancing movement thereof, a first control means for actuating said car-advancing means, said first control means being actuated by movement of said car-engaging means, said car-engaging means occupying a normal lowered position and being raised to an elevated position'when-incontact with the trailing end wall of a loaded car as said loaded car moves forward thereby jointly'to cause said dispensing means to move to its second position and to actuate said first control means in order to move the endcwalls of said cars out of contactcwith said can engaging means, a plate member engageable with a side wall of a car approaching said framework and movable between a raised position when in contact with said side Wall and a lowered position when out of contact with said side wall, and overriding control means actuated by said plate member and controlling jointly the operation of said conveyor and said car-advancirn means in dependence upon the position of said plate member, said overriding control means serving to render the car loading apparatus inoperative when no car is presentto be loaded;

6. For use in a car-loading apparatus, a car-engaging means comprising a plurality of elongated carriages extending longitudinally of the axis ofa trip of cars to be loaded, a framework, links pivotally mounted at their respective ends upon each of the carriages and the frame- Work for raising and lowering said car-engaging means with a pantograph-like motion, means connecting said carriages for movement of said car-engaging means as a unit, and a sled-runner attached to each of said carbeing loaded and having a lower edge for engagement with the end Walls of a trip of cars, each of said sled runners including separate forward and rearward portions adjustably mounted in overlapping relation on its respective carriage to provide an adjustable elfective sledrunner length within a car, the rearward lower edge of each sled runner having an inclined surface engageable with the trailing end wall of the loaded car and the forward lower edge thereof having an inclined surface engageable with the forward end wall of the next succeeding car, the lower edge of each sled-runner intermediate its inclined surfaces being substantially horizontal and having a length at least as long as the distance between adjacent cars.

Referenees Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,788,134 Miller et a1. Apr. 9, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 506,938 Great Britain June 7, 1939 r-iages and depending therefrom into the interior of a car' 

